Rosemary and Time: Does This Italian Hamlet Have a Recipe for Long Life?

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Antonio Vassallo, 100, and his wife, Amina Fedullo, 93, at home in Acciaroli, Italy.CreditCreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

By Bryant Rousseau

Oct. 19, 2016

In and around Acciaroli, Italy, a particularly pungent variety of locally grown rosemary — said to smell 10 times as strong as the norm — is a daily part of the diet. Residents raise and consume their own rabbits. Anchovies hauled in by the town’s fishermen feature prominently on dinner plates.

Abundant sunshine and clean air keep people outdoors, swimming at beaches or climbing the steep hills that ripple along the Cilento Coast, south of Naples.

Do these environmental factors and food choices — a hyperlocal twist on the Mediterranean diet, which also includes olive oil and fresh vegetables — explain why so many people here, both men and women, live past 90?

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Local vegetables, fruits and olive oil, on display at Delia Morinelli’s home in Pioppi, a hamlet near Acciaroli. Ms. Morinelli was once a cook for Ancel Keys, the American scientist who studied the influence of diet on health and promoted the Mediterranean diet.CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

Researchers who just concluded a preliminary study of Acciaroli’s nonagenarians and centenarians believe they could be part of the equation.

“They use rosemary on everything they cook,” said one of the researchers, Dr. Alan S. Maisel, a cardiologist and professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Of the area’s inhabitants, about one in 60 is 90 or older, according to the researchers. That rivals other so-called blue zones, like Sardinia and Okinawa, with unusually large concentrations of very old people. In the 2010 census, about one in every 163 Americans was 90 or older.

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Biking at 88? Not so unusual in Acciaroli. The quality of life here for those with nine or 10 decades behind them is high: virtually no cataracts, few bone fractures, excellent cardio health and a low incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

And the quality of life for people in Acciaroli with nine or 10 decades behind them is high: virtually no cataracts, few bone fractures, excellent heart health, and a low incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Maisel said.

Some studies have shown that rosemary can aid brain function, and the researchers think the variety grown in Acciaroli might have especially high concentrations of beneficial substances.

The older adults also demonstrate a robust sexual appetite, according to another researcher, Dr. Salvatore Di Somma, a professor of medicine at Sapienza University in Rome. “At 95, they have brains more like someone who is 50, and at 50, you’re still thinking a lot about sex,” he said.

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Giuseppe Vassallo, 94, says he had multiple sexual relationships at the age of 86, in an effort to overcome depression after his wife’s death. The older denizens of his community are described as quite sexually active.CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

Dr. Maisel reported an attempted seduction by a woman pumping water in the center of Acciaroli, who he estimated was born not long after Mussolini took office in 1922. “The sexual activity is huge,” he said.

The study of 27 households with at least one family member 90 or older found that Acciaroli’s older residents have exceptionally good microcirculation — the small capillaries that go right into tissues to deliver nutrients and remove waste.

“Their ADM levels are as good as a teenager,” said Dr. Maisel, referring to adrenomedullin, a hormone that widens blood vessels and that people typically produce more of as they age.

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Fenisia La Greca, 82, growing fruit and vegetables in her garden.CreditGianni Cipriano for The New York Times

The genetic makeup of the people in this insular area is probably a factor as well. The study found many unidentified metabolic compounds in the locals that warrant further investigation, Dr. Maisel said.